System and Method of Delivering Advertisement Data to a Mobile Device

ABSTRACT

A method of delivering advertisement data to a mobile device includes receiving video content associated with an advertisement at a set-top box device via an access network of a video distribution system. The method also includes receiving an advertisement selection command at the set-top box device. The advertisement selection command indicates that data related to the advertisement is to be sent to a particular mobile device associated with the set-top box device. Further, the method includes sending an indication of the advertisement selection command to an advertisement data management system via the access network, in response to the advertisement selection command.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure generally relates to communications networks, andmore particularly relates to delivering advertisement data to a mobiledevice.

BACKGROUND

Television viewing is a common activity. Advertisements are commonlyincluded with television content. A viewer may wish to respond to offersor events associated with advertisements in which the viewer isinterested. Additionally, advertisers may desire to provide interestedviewers with more information related to offers or events.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

It will be appreciated that for simplicity and clarity of illustration,elements illustrated in the Figures have not necessarily been drawn toscale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements areexaggerated relative to other elements. Embodiments incorporatingteachings of the present disclosure are shown and described with respectto the drawings presented herein, in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a particular embodiment of asystem to deliver advertisement data to a mobile device;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a second particular embodiment ofa system to deliver advertisement data to a mobile device;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a third particular embodiment ofa system to deliver advertisement data to a mobile device;

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating a particular embodiment of amethod of delivering advertisement data to a mobile device;

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating a second particular embodiment ofa method of delivering advertisement data to a mobile device;

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating a third particular embodiment of amethod of delivering advertisement data to a mobile device;

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram illustrating a fourth particular embodiment ofa method of delivering advertisement data to a mobile device;

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram illustrating a fifth particular embodiment of amethod of delivering advertisement data to a mobile device;

FIG. 9 is a flow diagram illustrating a particular embodiment of amethod of receiving advertisement data at a mobile device at a mobiledevice;

FIG. 10 is a flow diagram illustrating a second particular embodiment ofa method of receiving advertisement data at a mobile device at a mobiledevice; and

FIG. 11 is a block diagram of an illustrative embodiment of a generalcomputer system.

The use of the same reference symbols in different drawings indicatessimilar or identical items.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The numerous innovative teachings of the present application will bedescribed with particular reference to the presently preferred exemplaryembodiments. However, it should be understood that this class ofembodiments provides only a few examples of the many advantageous usesof the innovative teachings herein. In general, statements made in thespecification of the present application do not necessarily limit any ofthe various claimed systems, methods or computer-readable media.Moreover, some statements may apply to some features but not to others.

A method of delivering advertisement data to a mobile device includesreceiving video content associated with an advertisement at a set-topbox device via an access network of a video distribution system. Themethod also includes receiving an advertisement selection command at theset-top box device. The advertisement selection command indicates thatdata related to the advertisement is to be sent to a particular mobiledevice associated with the set-top box device. Further, the methodincludes sending an indication of the advertisement selection command toan ad data management system via the access network, in response to theadvertisement selection command.

In another embodiment, a set-top box device includes processing logicand memory accessible to the processing logic. The memory includesinstructions executable by the processing logic to receive video contentassociated with an advertisement via an access network of a videodistribution system. The memory also includes instructions executable bythe processing logic to receive an advertisement selection command,where the advertisement selection command indicates that data related tothe advertisement is to be sent to a particular mobile device associatedwith the set-top box device. The memory also includes instructionsexecutable by the processing logic to send an indication of theadvertisement selection command to an ad data management system via theaccess network, in response to the advertisement selection command.

In another embodiment, a system to receive data related to anadvertisement includes a mobile device adapted to receive data relatedto an advertisement from an ad data management system, the advertisementselected by a user of a set-top box device associated with the mobiledevice. The mobile device is also adapted to activate an ad walletfeature at the mobile device in response to receiving the data, the adwallet feature adapted to store data related to a plurality ofadvertisements. Further, the mobile device is adapted to store the datarelated to the selected advertisement via the ad wallet feature.

In another embodiment, a system to receive data related to anadvertisement includes a mobile device adapted to activate an ad datamode in response to user input. The mobile device is also adapted todetect a movement of the mobile device with respect to a landmark.Further, the mobile device is adapted to request, in response todetecting the movement, data related to an advertisement accessible to aset-top box device associated with the mobile device from an ad datamanagement system.

In a further embodiment, a computer-readable medium includesprocessor-readable instructions that are executable by a processor toperform a method. The method includes receiving an indication of anadvertisement selection command from a set-top box device at an ad datamanagement system. The advertisement selection command indicates thatdata related to an advertisement received at the set-top box device isto be sent to a mobile device associated with the set-top box device.The method also includes sending the data related to the advertisementfrom the ad data management system to the mobile device in response tothe indication.

FIG. 1 shows a particular embodiment of a system 100 to deliveradvertisement data to a mobile device. The system 100 includes a set-topbox device 102 that communicates with an ad data management system 104of a video service provider via an access network 106. For example, theset-top box device 102 can communicate with an ad data management systemof an Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) service provider via an IPTVaccess network. In addition, the set-top box device 106 is coupled to adisplay device 108, such as a television device. Further, the ad datamanagement system 104 communicates with one or more mobile devices 110associated with the set-top box device 102, or with one or more users ofthe set-top box device 102, via one or more mobile networks 112. In aparticular embodiment, the ad data management system 104 communicateswith an ad data database 114.

In an illustrative embodiment, the set-top box device 102 is adapted toreceive a request to register a mobile device 110. The set-top boxdevice 102 is adapted to receive registration information, such ascontact information, an identifier of the mobile device 110, otherregistration information, or a combination thereof, associated with themobile device 110, and to send the registration information to the addata management system 104. The ad data management system 104 is adaptedto add the registration information to a registry of one or more mobiledevices associated with the set-top box device 102.

The set-top box device 102 is adapted to receive video content relatedto an advertisement from a video head-end of a video service providerand to send the video content to the display device 108. In oneembodiment, the set-top box device 102 can be adapted to receivemetadata with the video content, which includes data related to theadvertisement. Additionally, the set-top box device 102 is adapted toreceive an advertisement selection command indicating that data relatedto the advertisement displayed at the display device 108 is to be sentto a mobile device associated with the set-top box device 102. Forexample, the set-top box device 102 can be adapted to receive a signalor data indicating a selection of a particular key at a remote controldevice communicating with the set-top box device 102.

The set-top box device 102 is adapted to send data to the ad datamanagement system 104 indicating that data related to an advertisementis to be sent to a mobile device associated with the set-top box device102. The set-top box device 102 can also be adapted to send programinformation related to programming received at the set-top box device102 to the ad data management system 104. For example, the set-top boxdevice 102 can send data to the ad data management system 104 indicatinga time when the set-top box device 102 received the advertisementselection command; a channel to which the set-top box device 102 wastuned when it received the advertisement selection command; anidentification of a program being received at which the set-top boxdevice 102 when it received the advertisement selection command; otherprogramming information; or any combination thereof. Alternatively, theset-top box device 102 can be adapted to extract metadata from videocorresponding to the selected advertisement, where the metadata includesdata related to the advertisement. The set-top box device 102 can beadapted to send the data related to the advertisement to the ad datamanagement system 104 with the data indicating that the data is to besent to a mobile device associated with the set-top box device 102.

In one embodiment, the set-top box device 102 can be adapted to call anad-to-go application stored at the set-top box device 102. For instance,the ad-to-go application can run in the background at the set-top boxdevice 102 until called. In a particular embodiment, the set-top boxdevice 102 can be adapted to execute the ad-to-go application to sendprogramming information to the ad data management system 104. In anotherparticular embodiment, the set-top box device 102 can be adapted toexecute the ad-to-go application to extract data related to theadvertisement from metadata received with the selected advertisement,and to send the data to the ad data management system 104 for deliveryto a selected mobile device 110.

In another embodiment, the set-top box device 102 can be adapted to sendan indication of the advertisement selection command to the ad datamanagement system 104 and to receive a response from the ad datamanagement system 104 that includes instructions to obtain theprogramming information, the data related to the advertisement, or anycombination thereof, and to send the obtained items to the ad datamanagement system 104. In one example, the instructions can include aJava script.

The set-top box device 102 can be adapted to determine whether it hasreceived data from the ad data management system 104 indicating that aplurality of mobile devices are associated with the set-top box device102. For example, the set-top box device 102 can receive data indicatingthe mobile devices associated with the set-top box device 102 from thead data management system 104 and to send a graphical menu of the mobiledevices to the display device 108. Further, the set-top box device 102can be adapted to receive a selection of a mobile device via thegraphical menu and to send data indicating the selection to the ad datamanagement system 104.

The ad data management system 104 is adapted to receive registrationinformation related to a mobile device from the set-top box device 102and to register the mobile device in association with the set-top boxdevice 102. The ad data management system 104 is also adapted to receiveprogram information or data related to an advertisement from the set-topbox device 102, along with an indication that data related to anadvertisement is to be sent to a mobile device associated with theset-top box device 102. In a particular embodiment, the ad datamanagement system 104 can be adapted to determine whether multiplemobile devices are registered for the set-top box device 102 or anaccount associated therewith. The ad data management system 104 can beadapted to send data indicating the plurality of mobile devices, such asa menu, to the set-top box device 102 and to receive data indicating aselection of a mobile device from the set-top box device 102.

The ad data management system 104 can be adapted to identify anadvertisement based on program information received from the set-top boxdevice 102. For example, the ad data management system 104 can beadapted to identify the advertisement based on a time at which anadvertisement selection command was received, a channel to which theset-top box device 102 was tuned at the time, a program being receivedat the set-top box device 102 at the time, other program information, orany combination thereof. Further, the ad data management system 104 canbe adapted to retrieve data related to the identified advertisement fromthe ad data database 114. The ad data management system 104 sends theretrieved advertisement data to the desired mobile device 110.

Data related to an advertisement can include, for example,electronically readable codes, such as a bar code; an electronic assetthat is usable to redeem an offer related to an advertisement, such asan electronic coupon; a mobile version of the advertisement; other datarelated to an advertisement; or any combination thereof. Other examplesof data related to an advertisement include a date, a time, a location,terms, an identification of a product, an identification of a service,other information, or any combination thereof, related to an offer orevent.

The mobile device 110 can be adapted to receive data related to anadvertisement and to open or otherwise activate an ad wallet feature,such as an ad wallet folder, in response to receiving the data. Themobile device 110 can be adapted to receive the data from the ad datamanagement system 104 via short messaging service (SMS), e-mail,Internet, or another mobile communication method. In one embodiment, thedata related to the advertisement can include tags or other dataindicating that the data is advertisement-related. In anotherembodiment, the mobile device 110 can be adapted to identify the data asbeing related to an advertisement. The mobile device 110 is adapted tostore the data related to the advertisement via the ad wallet. Themobile device 110 can be adapted to receive a selection of the adwallet, e.g., via a graphical user interface or hot key at the mobiledevice 110, and to graphically display selectable indicators of contentsof the ad wallet. The mobile device 110 can be adapted to receive aselection of an indicator of the advertisement via the graphical displayand to display the data related to the selected advertisement.

In another illustrative embodiment, the mobile device 110 can be adaptedto activate an ad data mode in response to user input. Further, themobile device 110 can be adapted to detect a particular motion withrespect to the display device 108, the set-top box device 102, othervisible object or landmark, or a combination thereof, when the mobiledevice 110 is in the ad data mode. For instance, the mobile device 110can determine via a camera that the mobile device 110 has been moved ina particular direction or a particular combination of directions withrespect to the visible object or landmark. In response to detecting theparticular motion, the mobile device 110 can be adapted to send arequest to an ad data management system 104 for advertisement datarelated to an advertisement presented at a set-top box device 102associated with the mobile device 110.

The ad data management system 104 is adapted to receive a request foradvertisement data from the mobile device 110 and to identify a set-topbox device associated with the mobile device 110, such as the set-topbox device 102. The ad data management system 104 is adapted to identifyprogramming (such as a channel, a television program, other programmingidentification, or any combination thereof) received at the set-top boxdevice 102 and to identify, based on the identified programming, anadvertisement received at the set-top box device 102 at or about thetime that the ad data management system 104 received the request foradvertisement data from the mobile device 110. The ad data managementsystem 104 is adapted to retrieve advertisement data related to theidentified advertisement from the advertisement data database 114 and tosend the advertisement data to the mobile device 110. The mobile device110 is adapted to receive data related to an advertisement from the addata management system 104. The mobile device 110 stores the datarelated to the advertisement in association with an ad wallet folder.

FIG. 2 shows a second particular embodiment of a system 200 to deliveradvertisement data to a mobile device. The system 200 includes elementsof an IPTV system having a client facing tier 202, an application tier204, an acquisition tier 206, and an operations and management tier 208.Each tier 202, 204, 206, and 208 is coupled to a private network 210, apublic network 212, or both the private network 210 and the publicnetwork 212. For example, the client-facing tier 202 can be coupled tothe private network 210, while the application tier 204 can be coupledto the private network 210 and to a public network, such as theInternet. The acquisition tier 206 can also be coupled to the privatenetwork 210 and to the public network 212. Moreover, the operations andmanagement tier 208 can be coupled to the public network 212.

The various tiers 202, 204, 206 and 208 communicate with each other viathe private network 210 and the public network 212. For instance, theclient-facing tier 202 can communicate with the application tier 204 andthe acquisition tier 206 via the private network 210. The applicationtier 204 can also communicate with the acquisition tier 206 via theprivate network 210. Further, the application tier 204 can communicatewith the acquisition tier 206 and the operations and management tier 208via the public network 212. Moreover, the acquisition tier 206 cancommunicate with the operations and management tier 208 via the publicnetwork 212. In a particular embodiment, elements of the applicationtier 204 can communicate directly with the client-facing tier 202.

The client-facing tier 202 can communicate with user equipment via aprivate access network 266, such as an IPTV access network. In anillustrative embodiment, customer premises equipment (CPE) such as afirst CPE device 214 and a second CPE device 222 can be coupled to theprivate access network 266. The CPE devices 214 and 222 can includemodems (e.g., digital subscriber line modems), residential gateways,routers, other devices, or any combination thereof. The client-facingtier 202 can communicate with a first representative set-top box (STB)device 216 via the first CPE device 214 and with a second representativeset-top box device 224 via the second CPE device 222. The client-facingtier 202 can communicate with a large number of set-top boxes over awide geographic area, such as a regional area, a metropolitan area, aviewing area, or any other suitable geographic area that can besupported by networking the client-facing tier 202 to numerous set-topbox devices. In one embodiment, the client-facing tier 202 can becoupled to the CPE devices 214 and 222 via fiber optic cables.Alternatively, the CPE devices 214 and 222 can be digital subscriberline (DSL) modems that are coupled to one or more network nodes viatwisted pairs, and the client-facing tier 202 can be coupled to thenetwork nodes via fiber-optic cables. Each of the set-top box devices216 and 224 can process data received from the private access network266 via an IPTV software platform such as Microsoft® TV IPTV Edition.

The first set-top box device 216 can be coupled to a first displaydevice 218, such as a first television monitor, and the second set-topbox device 224 can be coupled to a second display device 226, such as asecond television monitor. Moreover, the first set-top box device 216can communicate with a first remote control 220, and the second set-topbox device 224 can communicate with a second remote control 228. In anexemplary, non-limiting embodiment, each of the set-top box devices 216and 224 can receive data or video from the client-facing tier 202 viathe private access network 266 and render or display the data or videoat the display device 218 or 226 to which it is coupled. The set-top boxdevices 216 and 224 may include tuners that receive and decodetelevision programming information for transmission to the displaydevices 218 and 226. Further, each of the set-top box devices 216 and224 can include processing logic and memory accessible to the processinglogic, such as the STB processor 270 and the STB memory device 272. EachSTB memory device may include one or more computer programs, such as thecomputer program 274, that are executable by the STB processing logic.In one embodiment, one or more of the set-top box devices 216 and 224may include integrated digital video recorder (DVR) devices orcomponents, such as the DVR 282. In other embodiments, one or more ofthe set-top box devices 216 and 224 can be coupled to external DVRdevices.

In an illustrative embodiment, the client-facing tier 202 can include aclient-facing tier (CFT) switch 230 that manages communication betweenthe client-facing tier 202 and the private access network 266, andbetween the client-facing tier 202 and the private network 210. Asshown, the CFT switch 230 is coupled to one or more distribution servers(D-servers) 232 that may receive and store video content, requests forvideo content, other data, or any combination thereof, which is bound toand from the set-top box devices 216 and 224. The CFT switch 230 canalso be coupled to a terminal server 234 that provides terminal deviceswith a common connection point to the private network 210. In aparticular embodiment, the CFT switch 230 can also be coupled to avideo-on-demand (VOD) server 236. The CFT switch 230 is also coupled toa plurality of video servers 280 that store video content that is to bedistributed via the access network 266 to the set-top box devices 216and 224. In an illustrative, non-limiting embodiment, each of the videoservers 280 can be associated with one or more channels. Video contentrelated to advertisements that are received by the video servers 280 orthe D-server(s) 232 can include advertisement identifiers, metadata, ora combination thereof.

Further, the CFT switch 230 can be coupled to one or more ad datamanagement servers 290 that are adapted to receive requests from theset-top box devices 216, 224 to send data related to advertisements tomobile devices. Additionally, CFT switch 230 can be coupled to an addata database 292 can be adapted to store data related to one or moreadvertisements. The CFT switch 230 can also be coupled to an ad metadatadatabase 294 that is adapted to store metadata that the video servers280 can include with video related to one or more advertisements, wherethe metadata includes data related to one or more advertisements. In anillustrative embodiment, the ad data database 292, the ad metadatadatabase 294, or a combination thereof, can be adapted to receive datarelated to advertisements from an advertisement data acquisition (ADA)server 257 at the acquisition tier 206.

The application tier 204 communicates with both the private network 210and the public network 212. The application tier 204 can include a firstapplication tier (APP) switch 238 and a second APP switch 240. The firstAPP switch 238 can be coupled to the second APP switch 240. The firstAPP switch 238 can be coupled to an application server 242 and to anOSS/BSS gateway 244. The application server 242 provides applications tothe set-top box devices 216 and 224 via the private access network 266.Such applications enable the set-top box devices 216 and 224 to providefunctions such as display, messaging, processing of IPTV data and VODmaterial, gaming functions, other functions, or any combination thereof.In a particular embodiment, the OSS/BSS gateway 244 includes operationsystems and support (OSS) data, as well as billing systems and support(BSS) data.

The second APP switch 240 is coupled to a domain controller 246 that isadapted to provide web access, for example, to subscribers via thepublic network 212. In addition, the second APP switch 240 is coupled toa recommendation server 247 that is adapted to provide recommendationsrelated to the IPTV service to subscribers. The second APP switch 240can be coupled to a subscriber and system store 248 that includesaccount information, such as account information that is associated withusers who access the system 200 via the private network 210 or thepublic network 212. In a particular embodiment, the application tier 204can also include a client gateway 250 that communicates data directly tothe client-facing tier 202. In this embodiment, the client gateway 250can be coupled directly to the CFT switch 230. The client gateway 250can provide user access to the private network 210 and the tiers coupledthereto. Further, the second APP switch 240 is coupled to acommunication server 282 that communicates with mobile devices, such asthe cellular phone 284, via one or more mobile communication networks286.

In a particular embodiment, the set-top box devices 216 and 224 canaccess the system via the private access network 266 using informationreceived from the client gateway 250. The private access network 266provides security for the private network 210. User devices can accessthe client gateway 250 via the private access network 266, and theclient gateway 250 can allow such devices to access the private network210 once the devices are authenticated or verified. Similarly, theclient gateway 250 can prevent unauthorized devices, such as hackercomputers or stolen set-top box devices, from accessing the privatenetwork 210 by denying access to these devices beyond the private accessnetwork 266.

For example, when the set-top box device 216 accesses the system 200 viathe private access network 266, the client gateway 250 can verifysubscriber information by communicating with the subscriber and systemstore 248 via the private network 210, the first APP switch 238 and thesecond APP switch 240. Further, the client gateway 250 can verifybilling information and status by communicating with the OSS/BSS gateway244 via the private network 210 and the first APP switch 238. TheOSS/BSS gateway 244 can transmit a query across the first APP switch238, to the second APP switch 240, and the second APP switch 240 cancommunicate the query across the public network 212 to the OSS/BSSserver 264. After the client gateway 250 confirms subscriber and/orbilling information, the client gateway 250 can allow the set-top boxdevice 216 access to IPTV content and VOD content. If the client gateway250 cannot verify subscriber information for the set-top box device 216,(e.g., it is connected to a different twisted pair), the client gateway250 can deny transmissions to and from the set-top box device 216 beyondthe private access network 266.

The acquisition tier 206 includes an acquisition tier (AQT) switch 252that communicates with the private network 210. The AQT switch 252 canalso communicate with the operations and management tier 208 via thepublic network 212. In a particular embodiment, the AQT switch 252 canbe coupled to a live acquisition server 254 that receives televisioncontent, for example, from a broadcast service 256. The televisioncontent can include video content, metadata, identifiers, or anycombination thereof, related to advertisements. Further, the AQT switchcan be coupled to a video-on-demand importer server 258 that storestelevision content received at the acquisition tier 206 and communicatesthe stored content to the client-facing tier 202 via the private network210. In an illustrative embodiment, the AQT switch 252 can be coupled toan advertisement data acquisition (ADA) server 257 adapted to receivedata related to advertisements from advertisers, video contentproviders, other sources, or a combination thereof, and to send the datato the ad data database 292, the ad metadata database 294, or acombination thereof.

The operations and management tier 208 can include an operations andmanagement tier (OMT) switch 260 that conducts communication between theoperations and management tier 208 and the public network 212. In theillustrated embodiment, the OMT switch 260 is coupled to a TV2 server262 that is adapted to provide a TV2 user interface to user computers268 via the public network 212, for example. Additionally, the OMTswitch 260 can be coupled to an OSS/BSS server 264 and to a simplenetwork management protocol (SNMP) monitor 265 that monitors networkdevices. In a particular embodiment, the OMT switch 260 can communicatewith the AQT switch 252 via the public network 212.

In an illustrative embodiment, a set-top box device, such as the set-topbox device 216, is adapted to receive a request to register a mobiledevice, such as the cellular phone 284. The set-top box device 216 isadapted to receive registration information associated with the cellularphone 284 and to send the registration information to the ad datamanagement system 290. The ad data management system 290 is adapted toadd the registration information to a registry of one or more mobiledevices associated with the set-top box device 216.

In addition, the set-top box device 216 is adapted to receive videocontent related to an advertisement from a video content server 280, aD-server 232, or another server, and to send the video content to thedisplay device 218. In one embodiment, the set-top box device 216 can beadapted to receive metadata with the video content, which includes datarelated to the advertisement. Additionally, the set-top box device 216is adapted to receive an advertisement selection command indicating thatdata related to the advertisement displayed at the display device 218 isto be sent to a mobile device associated with the set-top box device216. For example, the set-top box device 216 can be adapted to receive asignal or data indicating a selection of a particular key at the remotecontrol device 220.

The set-top box device 216 is adapted to send data to the ad datamanagement system 290 indicating that data related to an advertisementis to be sent to a mobile device associated with the set-top box device216, such as the cellular phone 284. The set-top box device 216 can alsobe adapted to send program information related to programming receivedat the set-top box device 216 to the ad data management system 290.Alternatively, the set-top box device 216 can be adapted to extractmetadata from video corresponding to the selected advertisement, wherethe metadata includes data related to the advertisement. The set-top boxdevice 216 can be adapted to send the data related to the advertisementto the ad data management system 290 with the data indicating that thedata is to be sent to a mobile device associated with the set-top boxdevice 216.

In one embodiment, the set-top box device 216 can be adapted to call anad-to-go application stored at the set-top box device 216. For instance,the ad-to-go application can run in the background at the set-top boxdevice 216 until called. In another embodiment, the set-top box device216 can be adapted to call the ad-to-go application from the application242 or another server of the IPTV system 200. In a particularembodiment, the set-top box device 216 can be adapted to execute thead-to-go application to send programming information to the ad datamanagement system 290. In another particular embodiment, the set-top boxdevice 216 can be adapted to execute the ad-to-go application to extractdata related to the advertisement from metadata received with theselected advertisement, and to send the data to the ad data managementsystem 290 for delivery to a selected mobile device, such as thecellular phone 284.

In one embodiment, the advertisement selection command can indicate aselection of an advertisement being displayed at the display device 218.In another embodiment, such as where metadata is sent with video contentcorresponding to advertisements, the set-top box device 216 can beadapted to display a graphical menu of advertisements in response to theadvertisement selection command, and the set-top box device 216 can beadapted to receive a selection of the advertisement from the graphicalmenu. For instance, the graphical menu of advertisements can includeselectable indicators of advertisements displayed at the display device218 within a period of time prior to receipt of the advertisementselection command at the set-top box device 216.

In another embodiment, the set-top box device 216 can be adapted to sendan indication of the advertisement selection command to the ad datamanagement system 290 and to receive a response from the ad datamanagement system 290 that includes instructions to obtain theprogramming information, the data related to the advertisement, or anycombination thereof, and to send the obtained items to the ad datamanagement system 290. In one example, the instructions can include aJava script.

The set-top box device 216 can be adapted to determine whether it hasreceived data from the ad data management system 290 indicating that aplurality of mobile devices are associated with the set-top box device216. For example, the set-top box device 216 can receive data indicatingthe mobile devices associated with the set-top box device 216 from thead data management system 290 and to send a graphical menu of the mobiledevices to the display device 218. Further, the set-top box device 216can be adapted to receive a selection of a mobile device via thegraphical menu and to send data indicating the selection to the ad datamanagement system 290.

The ad data management system 290 is adapted to receive registrationinformation related to a mobile device from the set-top box device 216and to register the mobile device in association with the set-top boxdevice 216. The ad data management system 290 is also adapted to receiveprogram information or data related to an advertisement from the set-topbox device 216, along with an indication that data related to anadvertisement is to be sent to a mobile device associated with theset-top box device 216. In a particular embodiment, the ad datamanagement system 290 can be adapted to determine whether multiplemobile devices are registered for the set-top box device 216 or anaccount associated therewith. The ad data management system 290 can beadapted to send data indicating the plurality of mobile devices, such asa menu, to the set-top box device 216 and to receive data indicating aselection of a mobile device from the set-top box device 216.

The ad data management system 290 can be adapted to identify anadvertisement based on program information received from the set-top boxdevice 216. For example, the ad data management system 290 can beadapted to identify the advertisement based on a time at which anadvertisement selection command was received, a channel to which theset-top box device 216 was tuned at the time, a program being receivedat the set-top box device 216 at the time, other program information, orany combination thereof. Further, the ad data management system 290 canbe adapted to retrieve data related to the identified advertisement fromthe ad data database 292. The ad data management system 290 sends theretrieved advertisement data to the desired mobile device, such as thecellular phone 284, via the communication server 282. In a particularembodiment, the communication server 282 is adapted to send data relatedto an advertisement to mobile devices, such as the cellular phone 284,via short messaging service (SMS), e-mail, Internet, or another mobilecommunication method.

The mobile device 284 can be adapted to receive data related to anadvertisement and to open or otherwise activate an ad wallet feature,such as an ad wallet folder, in response to receiving the data. Thecellular phone 284 can be adapted to receive the data from the ad datamanagement system 290 via short messaging service (SMS), e-mail,Internet, or another mobile communication method. In one embodiment, thedata related to the advertisement can include tags or other dataindicating that the data is advertisement-related. In anotherembodiment, the cellular phone 284 can be adapted to identify the dataas being related to an advertisement. The cellular phone 284 is adaptedto store the data related to the advertisement via the ad wallet. Thecellular phone 284 can be adapted to receive a selection of the adwallet, such as via a graphical user interface or hot key at thecellular phone 284, and to graphically display selectable indicators ofcontents of the ad wallet. The cellular phone 284 can be adapted toreceive a selection of an indicator of the advertisement via thegraphical display and to display the data related to the selectedadvertisement.

In an illustrative embodiment, the cellular phone 284 can be adapted toactivate an ad data mode in response to user input. Further, thecellular phone 284 can be adapted to detect a particular motion withrespect to the display device 218, the set-top box device 216, othervisible object or landmark, or a combination thereof, when the cellularphone 284 is in the ad data mode. For instance, the cellular phone 284can determine via a camera that the cellular phone 284 has been moved ina particular direction or a particular combination of directions withrespect to the visible object or landmark. In response to detecting theparticular motion, the cellular phone 284 can be adapted to send arequest to the ad data management system 290 for advertisement datarelated to an advertisement presented at a set-top box device 216associated with the cellular phone 284.

The ad data management system 290 is adapted to receive a request foradvertisement data from the cellular phone 284 and to identify a set-topbox device associated with the cellular phone 284, such as the set-topbox device 216. The ad data management system 290 is adapted to identifyprogramming (such as a channel, a television program, other programmingidentification, or any combination thereof) received at the set-top boxdevice 216 and to identify, based on the identified programming, anadvertisement received at the set-top box device 216 at or about thetime that the ad data management system 290 received the request foradvertisement data from the cellular phone 284. The ad data managementsystem 290 is adapted to retrieve advertisement data related to theidentified advertisement from the advertisement data database 292 and tosend the advertisement data to the cellular phone 284. The cellularphone 284 is adapted to receive data related to an advertisement fromthe ad data management system 290. The cellular phone 284 stores thedata related to the advertisement in association with an ad walletfolder.

FIG. 3 illustrates a third particular embodiment of a system 300 todeliver advertising data to a mobile device. The system 300 includes aset-top box device 302 that communicates with an ad data managementsystem 340 of a video service provider via an access network 342.Additionally, the ad data management system 340 communicates with amobile device 352 via a mobile network 350. In a particular embodiment,the ad data management system 340 can also communicate with an admetadata database 344.

The set-top box device 302 includes processing logic 304 and memory 306accessible to the processing logic 304. In addition, the set-top boxdevice 302 includes a network interface 308 adapted to facilitatecommunication between the set-top box device 302 and the access network342. Further, the set-top box device 302 includes a display interface310 adapted to couple a display device 312 to the set-top box device302. The set-top box device 302 also communicates with a remote controldevice 316 via a remote interface 314.

The memory 306 includes a plurality of modules 322-332. The modules322-332 can include computer instructions that are readable andexecutable by the processing logic 304 to implement various functions ofthe set-top box device 302 with respect to delivering advertising datato a mobile device. For example, the modules 322-332 can representvarious aspects of one or more software applications, operating systems,or other computer programs. In other embodiments, the modules 322-332can be implemented as hardware logic or a combination of hardware logicand computer instructions.

The memory 306 includes a register module 322 executable by theprocessing logic 304 to receive a request to register a mobile device352. The register module 322 is also executable by the processing logicreceive registration information associated with the mobile device 352and to send the registration information to the ad data managementsystem 340. In one embodiment, the register module 322 can be executableby the processing logic 304 to prompt a user for contact information, anidentifier of the mobile device 352 (e.g., Jon's cell phone), otherregistration information, or any combination thereof, in response to therequest to register the mobile device 352 with the set-top box device302.

The memory 306 includes a video module 324 executable by the processinglogic 304 to receive video content related to television content,including one or more advertisements and to send the video content tothe display device 312. In an illustrative embodiment, the video module324 can be executable by the processing logic 304 to buffer videocontent to prevent underflow to the display device 312. In addition, thevideo module 324 can be executable by the processing logic 304 toreceive metadata with video content of each advertisement.

The memory 306 includes a command module 326 executable by theprocessing logic 304 to receive an advertisement selection commandindicating that data related to an advertisement displayed at thedisplay device 312 is to be sent to a mobile device associated with theset-top box device 302. For example, the command module 326 can beexecutable by the processing logic 304 to receive a signal or dataindicating a selection of an advertisement data key or other particularkey at the remote control device 316. The command module 326 isexecutable by the processing logic 304 to send data to the ad datamanagement system 340 indicating that data related to an advertisementis to be sent to a mobile device associated with the set-top box device302, such as the mobile device 352. The command module 326 is executableby the processing logic 304 to send program information related toprogramming received at the set-top box device 302 to the ad datamanagement system 340. Alternatively, the command module 326 can beexecutable by the processing logic 304 to send data related to theadvertisement to the ad data management system 340 with the dataindicating that the data is to be sent to a mobile device associatedwith the set-top box device 302.

The memory 306 can include a graphical user interface (GUI) module 328that is executable by the processing logic 304 to send a graphical menuof recently displayed advertisements to the display device 312 inresponse to the advertisement selection command and to receive aselection of the advertisement from the graphical menu. For instance,the graphical menu of advertisements can include selectable indicatorsof advertisements displayed at the display device 312 within a period oftime prior to receipt of the advertisement selection command at theset-top box device 302. The GUI module 328 can also be executable by theprocessing logic 304 to receive data from the ad data management system340 indicating that a plurality of mobile devices are associated withthe set-top box device 302, and to send a graphical menu of mobiledevices associated with the set-top box device 302 to the display device312. The GUI module 328 can be executable by the processing logic 304 toreceive a selection of a mobile device, such as the mobile device 352,via the graphical menu.

In an illustrative embodiment, the memory 306 can include an applicationcall module 330 executable by the processing logic 304 to call anad-to-go application. In one example, the ad-to-go application can bestored at the memory 306 and can run in the background at the set-topbox device 302 until called. The ad-to-go application can be executableby the processing logic 304 to send program information associated withthe selected mobile device 352 to the ad data management system 340. Inanother particular embodiment, the ad-to-go application can beexecutable by the processing logic 304 to extract data related to theadvertisement from metadata received with the selected advertisement,and to send the data to the ad data management system 340. In anotherembodiment, the application call module 330 can be executable by theprocessing logic 304 to request the ad-to-go application from the addata management system 340 or another source and to receive the ad-to-goapplication or instructions to obtain program information or datarelated to the selected advertisement.

The ad data management system 340 is adapted to send data related to theadvertisement to the selected mobile device 352. The mobile device 352can comprise a mobile phone, such as a cellular phone, a personal dataassistant, a mobile computing device, a digital music player adapted tocommunicate with a mobile network, another mobile device, or anycombination thereof. The mobile device 352 includes processing logic 354and a plurality of modules 356-362 that are executable by the processinglogic 354 to perform various functions of the mobile device 352 withrespect to receiving advertising data. The mobile device 364 alsoincludes a display portion 364. In an illustrative embodiment, themodules 356-362 can include instructions stored in a memory at themobile device 352. In other embodiments, the modules 356-362 can beimplemented as hardware logic or a combination of hardware logic andcomputer instructions.

The mobile device 352 includes an advertising data module 356 executableby the processor 354 to receive data related to an advertisement and toopen or otherwise activate an ad wallet module 358, such as an ad walletfolder, in response to receiving the data. In one embodiment, the datarelated to the advertisement can include data indicating that the datais advertisement-related. In another embodiment, the advertising datamodule 356 is executable by the processing logic 354 to identify thedata as being related to an advertisement. The ad wallet module 356stores advertisement data and can be executable by the processor 354 toorganize the advertisement data according to user commands, such asalphabetically, by time of receipt, expiration date, offer date, eventdate, other organizational schemes, or any combination thereof.

The mobile device 352 includes an input module 360 executable by theprocessor 354 to receive a selection of the ad wallet, e.g., from agraphical user interface at the mobile device 352 or via an assignablehot key 366, and the mobile device 352 includes a display module 362that is executable by the processor 354 to graphically displayselectable indicators of contents of the ad wallet. Though the hot key366 is shown on a side of the mobile device, the hot key 366 may bedisposed elsewhere on the mobile device 352. For instance, the hot key366 can comprise a key of a cellular phone number pad that has beenassigned to activate the ad wallet. Further, the input module 360 can beadapted to receive a selection of the data related to the advertisement,and display module 362 is executable by the processor 354 to display thedata related to the selected advertisement.

In one embodiment, the ad data module 356 can be executable by theprocessing logic 354 to activate an ad data mode in response to userinput. Further, the input module 360 can be adapted to detect aparticular motion with respect to the display device 312, the set-topbox device 302, other visible object or landmark, or a combinationthereof, when the mobile device 352 is in the ad data mode. The ad datamodule 356 can be executable by the processing logic 354 to send arequest to the ad data management system 340 for advertisement datarelated to an advertisement presented at the set-top box device 302associated with the mobile device 352.

FIG. 4 shows a particular embodiment of a method of deliveringadvertisement data to a mobile device. At block 400, a set-top boxdevice receives registration information associated with a mobiledevice, such as a cellular phone. The set-top box device sends theregistration information to an ad data management system to be stored ina registry of mobile devices associated with the set-top box device.Moving to block 402, the set-top box device receives video contentrelated to an advertisement from a video head-end of a video contentservice provider and sends the video content to a display device coupledto the set-top box device. In one embodiment, the set-top box device canreceive and store an identifier associated with the advertisement.Proceeding to block 404, the set-top box device receives anadvertisement selection command indicating that data related to theadvertisement is to be sent to a mobile device associated with theset-top box device.

Continuing to block 406, the set-top box device sends programinformation related to programming received at the set-top box device tothe ad data management system. For example, the set-top box device cansend data to the ad data management system indicating a time at whichthe set-top box device received the advertisement selection command; achannel to which the set-top box device was tuned when it received theadvertisement selection command; an identification of a program beingreceived at which the set-top box device when it received theadvertisement selection command; other programming information; or anycombination thereof.

Advancing to decision node 408, in a particular embodiment, the set-topbox device can determine whether it has received data from the ad datamanagement system corresponding to a plurality of mobile devicesassociated with the set-top box device. For example, the set-top boxdevice can receive a menu of mobile devices associated with the set-topbox device. If the set-top box device receives data corresponding to amenu of mobile devices from the ad data management system, the methodmoves to block 410, and the set-top box device sends the menu of mobiledevices to a display device. Further, the set-top box device receives aselection of a mobile device via the menu. Proceeding to block 412, theset-top box device sends data indicating the selection to the ad datamanagement system. The method terminates at 414.

FIG. 5 illustrates a second particular embodiment of a method ofdelivering advertisement data to a mobile device. At block 500, aset-top box device receives registration information associated with amobile device, such as a cellular phone. The set-top box device sendsthe registration information to an ad data management system to bestored in a registry of mobile devices associated with the set-top boxdevice. Moving to block 502, the set-top box device receives videocontent related to an advertisement from a video head-end of a videocontent service provider and sends the video content to a display devicecoupled to the set-top box device. In one embodiment, the set-top boxdevice can receive and store an identifier associated with theadvertisement. Proceeding to block 504, the set-top box device receivesan advertisement selection command indicating that data related to theadvertisement is to be sent to a mobile device associated with theset-top box device.

Continuing to block 506, the set-top box device calls an ad-to-goapplication from a network application server or from a background atthe set-top box device. Advancing to block 508, the set-top box devicecan extract metadata from video corresponding to the selectedadvertisement. The metadata includes data related to the advertisements.The set-top box device sends the metadata to the ad data managementsystem to be communicated to the mobile device. The method terminates at510.

FIG. 6 illustrates a third particular embodiment of a method ofdelivering advertisement data to a mobile device. At block 600, an addata management system receives registration information related to amobile device from a set-top box device. Moving to block 602, the addata management system registers the mobile device in association withthe set-top box device. Proceeding to block 604, the ad data managementsystem receives program information from the set-top box device. Theprogram information can be included with an indication that data relatedto an advertisement is to be sent to a mobile device associated with theset-top box device.

Continuing to decision node 606, the ad data management systemdetermines whether multiple mobile devices are registered for theset-top box device or an account associated therewith. If multiplemobile devices are not registered for the set-top box device, the methodadvances to block 610. On the other hand, if multiple mobile devices areregistered for the set-top box device, the method advances to block 608,and the ad data management system sends data indicating the plurality ofmobile devices, such as a menu, to the set-top box device and receivesdata indicating a selection of a mobile device from the set-top boxdevice. The method then continues to block 610.

At block 610, the ad data management system identifies an advertisementbased on the program information received from the set-top box device.Further, the ad data management system retrieves data related to theidentified advertisement from a database. Moving to block 612, the addata management system sends the retrieved advertisement data to thedesired mobile device. The method terminates at 614.

FIG. 7 illustrates a fourth particular embodiment of a method ofdelivering advertisement data to a mobile device. At block 700, an addata management system receives registration information related to amobile device from a set-top box device. Moving to block 702, the addata management system registers the mobile device in association withthe set-top box device. Proceeding to block 704, the ad data managementsystem receives advertisement data from the set-top box device. Theprogram information can be included with an indication that data relatedto an advertisement is to be sent to a mobile device associated with theset-top box device. In one embodiment, the advertisement data can beextracted by the set-top box device from metadata included with videocontent corresponding to the advertisement.

Continuing to decision node 706, the ad data management systemdetermines whether multiple mobile devices are registered for theset-top box device or an account associated therewith. If multiplemobile devices are not registered for the set-top box device, the methodadvances to block 710. On the other hand, if multiple mobile devices areregistered for the set-top box device, the method advances to block 708,and the ad data management system sends data indicating the plurality ofmobile devices, such as a menu, to the set-top box device and receivesdata indicating a selection of a mobile device from the set-top boxdevice. The method then continues to block 710. At block 710, the addata management system sends the received advertisement data to thedesired mobile device. The method terminates at 712.

FIG. 8 illustrates a fifth particular embodiment of a method ofdelivering advertisement data to a mobile device. At block 800, an addata management system receives a request for advertisement data from amobile device. Moving to block 802, the ad data management systemidentifies a set-top box device associated with the mobile device.Proceeding to block 804, the ad data management system identifiesprogramming (such as a channel, a television program, other programmingidentification, or any combination thereof) received at the set-top boxdevice.

Continuing to block 806, the ad data management system identifies, basedon the identified programming, an advertisement received at the set-topbox device at or about the time that the ad data management systemreceived the request for advertisement data from the mobile device.Advancing to block 808, the ad data management system retrievesadvertisement data related to the identified advertisement from anadvertisement data database. At block 810, the ad data management systemsends the advertisement data to the mobile device. The method terminatesat 812.

FIG. 9 illustrates a particular embodiment of a method of receivingadvertisement data at a mobile device. At block 900, a mobile devicereceives data related to an advertisement from an ad data managementsystem. Moving to block 902, the mobile device opens an ad wallet folderin response to receiving the data. In one embodiment, the data relatedto the advertisement can include tags or other data indicating that thedata is advertisement-related. The mobile device stores the data relatedto the advertisement in association with the ad wallet folder.

Proceeding to block 904, the mobile device receives a selection of thead wallet folder. Continuing to block 906, the mobile device displays amenu of the contents of the ad wallet folder. Advancing to block 908,the mobile device receives a selection of the data related to theadvertisement. At block 910, the mobile device displays the data relatedto the selected advertisement. The method terminates at 912.

FIG. 10 illustrates a second particular embodiment of a method ofreceiving advertisement data at a mobile device. At block 1000, a mobiledevice activates an ad data mode in response to user input. Moving toblock 1002, the mobile device detects a particular motion with respectto a television, set-top box device, other visible object or landmark,or a combination thereof. For instance, the mobile device can determinevia a camera that the mobile device has been moved in a particulardirection or combination of directions with respect to the visibleobject or landmark. Proceeding to block 1004, in response to detectingthe particular motion, the mobile device sends a request to an ad datamanagement system for advertisement data related to an advertisementpresented at a set-top box device associated with the mobile device.

Continuing to block 1006, the mobile device receives data related to anadvertisement from the ad data management system. The mobile devicestores the data related to the advertisement in association with the adwallet folder. Proceeding to block 1008, the mobile device receives aselection of the ad wallet folder. Continuing to block 1010, the mobiledevice displays a menu of the contents of the ad wallet folder.Advancing to block 1012, the mobile device receives a selection of thedata related to the advertisement. At block 1014, the mobile devicedisplays the data related to the selected advertisement. The methodterminates at 1016.

FIG. 11 shows an illustrative embodiment of a general computer 1100including a set of instructions that can be executed to cause thecomputer system to perform any one or more of the methods or computerbased functions disclosed herein. The computer system 1100 may operateas a standalone device or may be connected, e.g., using a network, toother computer systems or peripheral devices. In an illustrativeembodiment, such standalone and peripheral devices can include, forexample, set-top box devices, mobile devices, servers, other networkelements, or any combination thereof, as illustrated in FIGS. 1-3.

In a networked deployment, the computer system may operate in thecapacity of a server or as a client user computer in a server-clientuser network environment, or as a peer computer system in a peer-to-peer(or distributed) network environment. The computer system 1100 can alsobe implemented as or incorporated into various devices, such as apersonal computer (PC), a tablet PC, a set-top box (STB), a personaldigital assistant (PDA), a mobile device, a palmtop computer, a laptopcomputer, a desktop computer, a communications device, a wirelesstelephone, a land-line telephone, a control system, a camera, a scanner,a facsimile machine, a printer, a pager, a personal trusted device, aweb appliance, a network router, switch or bridge, or any other machinecapable of executing a set of instructions (sequential or otherwise)that specify actions to be taken by that machine. In a particularembodiment, the computer system 1100 can be implemented using electronicdevices that provide voice, video or data communication. Further, whilea single computer system 1100 is illustrated, the term “system” shallalso be taken to include any collection of systems or sub-systems thatindividually or jointly execute a set, or multiple sets, of instructionsto perform one or more computer functions.

The computer system 1100 may include a processor 1102, e.g., a centralprocessing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), or both.Moreover, the computer system 1100 can include a main memory 1104 and astatic memory 1106 that can communicate with each other via a bus 1108.As shown, the computer system 1100 may further include a video displayunit 1110, such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), an organic lightemitting diode (OLED), a flat panel display, a solid state display, or acathode ray tube (CRT). Additionally, the computer system 1100 mayinclude an input device 1112, such as a keyboard, and a cursor controldevice 1114, such as a mouse. The computer system 1100 can also includea disk drive unit 1116, a signal generation device 1118, such as aspeaker or remote control, and a network interface device 1120.

In a particular embodiment as depicted in FIG. 11, the disk drive unit1116 may include a computer-readable medium 1122 in which one or moresets of instructions 1124, e.g. software, can be embedded. Further, theinstructions 1124 may embody one or more of the methods or logic asdescribed herein. In a particular embodiment, the instructions 1124 mayreside completely, or at least partially, within the main memory 1104,the static memory 1106, and/or within the processor 1102 duringexecution by the computer system 1100. The main memory 1104 and theprocessor 1102 also may include computer-readable media. The networkinterface device 1120 can provide connectivity to a network 1126, e.g.,a wide area network (WAN), a local area network (LAN), or other network.

In an alternative embodiment, dedicated hardware implementations, suchas application specific integrated circuits, programmable logic arraysand other hardware devices, can be constructed to implement one or moreof the methods described herein. Applications that may include theapparatus and systems of various embodiments can broadly include avariety of electronic and computer systems. One or more embodimentsdescribed herein may implement functions using two or more specificinterconnected hardware modules or devices with related control and datasignals that can be communicated between and through the modules, or asportions of an application-specific integrated circuit. Accordingly, thepresent system encompasses software, firmware, and hardwareimplementations.

In accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure, themethods described herein may be implemented by software programsexecutable by a computer system. Further, in an exemplary, non-limitedembodiment, implementations can include distributed processing,component/object distributed processing, and parallel processing.Alternatively, virtual computer system processing can be constructed toimplement one or more of the methods or functionality as describedherein.

The present disclosure contemplates a computer-readable medium thatincludes instructions 1124 or receives and executes instructions 1124responsive to a propagated signal, so that a device connected to anetwork 1126 can communicate voice, video or data over the network 1126.Further, the instructions 1124 may be transmitted or received over thenetwork 1126 via the network interface device 1120.

While the computer-readable medium is shown to be a single medium, theterm “computer-readable medium” includes a single medium or multiplemedia, such as a centralized or distributed database, and/or associatedcaches and servers that store one or more sets of instructions. The term“computer-readable medium” shall also include any medium that is capableof storing, encoding or carrying a set of instructions for execution bya processor or that cause a computer system to perform any one or moreof the methods or operations disclosed herein.

In a particular non-limiting, exemplary embodiment, thecomputer-readable medium can include a solid-state memory such as amemory card or other package that houses one or more non-volatileread-only memories. Further, the computer-readable medium can be arandom access memory or other volatile re-writable memory. Additionally,the computer-readable medium can include a magneto-optical or opticalmedium, such as a disk or tapes or other storage device to capturecarrier wave signals such as a signal communicated over a transmissionmedium. A digital file attachment to an e-mail or other self-containedinformation archive or set of archives may be considered a distributionmedium that is equivalent to a tangible storage medium. Accordingly, thedisclosure is considered to include any one or more of acomputer-readable medium or a distribution medium and other equivalentsand successor media, in which data or instructions may be stored.

Although the present specification describes components and functionsthat may be implemented in particular embodiments with reference toparticular standards and protocols, the invention is not limited to suchstandards and protocols. For example, standards for Internet and otherpacket switched network transmission (e.g., TCP/IP, UDP/IP, HTML, HTTP)represent examples of the state of the art. Such standards areperiodically superseded by faster or more efficient equivalents havingessentially the same functions. Accordingly, replacement standards andprotocols having the same or similar functions as those disclosed hereinare considered equivalents thereof.

The illustrations of the embodiments described herein are intended toprovide a general understanding of the structure of the variousembodiments. The illustrations are not intended to serve as a completedescription of all of the elements and features of apparatus and systemsthat utilize the structures or methods described herein. Many otherembodiments may be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reviewingthe disclosure.

Other embodiments may be utilized and derived from the disclosure, suchthat structural and logical substitutions and changes may be madewithout departing from the scope of the disclosure. Additionally, theillustrations are merely representational and may not be drawn to scale.Certain proportions within the illustrations may be exaggerated, whileother proportions may be minimized. Accordingly, the disclosure and theFIGs. are to be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive.

The Abstract of the Disclosure is provided to comply with 37 C.F.R.§1.72(b) and is submitted with the understanding that it will not beused to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims. Inaddition, in the foregoing Detailed Description of the Drawings, variousfeatures may be grouped together or described in a single embodiment forthe purpose of streamlining the disclosure. This disclosure is not to beinterpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed embodimentsrequire more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather,as the following claims reflect, inventive subject matter may bedirected to less than all of the features of any of the disclosedembodiments. Thus, the following claims are incorporated into theDetailed Description of the Drawings, with each claim standing on itsown as defining separately claimed subject matter.

The above disclosed subject matter is to be considered illustrative, andnot restrictive, and the appended claims are intended to cover all suchmodifications, enhancements, and other embodiments which fall within thetrue spirit and scope of the present disclosed subject matter. Thus, tothe maximum extent allowed by law, the scope of the present disclosedsubject matter is to be determined by the broadest permissibleinterpretation of the following claims and their equivalents, and shallnot be restricted or limited by the foregoing detailed description.

1. A method of delivering advertisement data to a mobile device, themethod comprising: receiving video content associated with anadvertisement at a set-top box device via an access network of a videodistribution system; receiving an advertisement selection command at theset-top box device, wherein the advertisement selection commandindicates that data related to the advertisement is to be sent to aparticular mobile device associated with the set-top box device; andsending an indication of the advertisement selection command to anadvertisement data management system via the access network, in responseto the advertisement selection command.
 2. The method of claim 1,further comprising: receiving a request to register the particularmobile device at the set-top box device; receiving registrationinformation associated with the particular mobile device; and sendingthe registration information to the ad data management system.
 3. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising: receiving data from the ad datamanagement system indicating that a plurality of mobile devices areassociated with the set-top box device; providing a graphical menu ofthe plurality of mobile devices to a display device coupled to theset-top box device; receiving a selection of the particular mobiledevice at the set-top box device via the graphical menu; and sending theselection to the ad data management system.
 4. The method of claim 1,further comprising: providing a graphical menu of advertisements to adisplay device coupled to the set-top box device in response to theadvertisement selection command; and receiving a selection of theadvertisement at the set-top box device via the graphical menu.
 5. Themethod of claim 4, wherein the graphical menu of advertisements includesselectable indicators of advertisements received at the set-top boxdevice within a particular period of time prior to receipt of theadvertisement selection command at the set-top box device.
 6. The methodof claim 1, further comprising sending program information to the addata management system, wherein the program information includes achannel, a time, a television program, or any combination thereof. 7.The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving metadata with thevideo content, wherein the metadata includes the data related to theadvertisement; extracting the metadata after receiving the advertisementselection command; and sending the data related to the advertisement tothe ad data management system with the contact information.
 8. A set-topbox device, comprising: processing logic and memory accessible to theprocessing logic, wherein the memory includes instructions executable bythe processing logic to: receive video content associated with anadvertisement via an access network of a video distribution system;receive an advertisement selection command, wherein the advertisementselection command indicates that data related to the advertisement is tobe sent to a particular mobile device associated with the set-top boxdevice; and send an indication of the advertisement selection command toan advertisement data management system via the access network, inresponse to the advertisement selection command.
 9. The set-top boxdevice of claim 8, wherein the memory includes instructions to call anad-to-go application in response to the advertisement selection command,the ad-to-go application executable by the processing logic to send theindication of the advertisement selection command, program information,data related to the advertisement, or any combination thereof, to theadvertisement data management system.
 10. The set-top box device ofclaim 9, wherein the ad-to-go application is executable by theprocessing logic to extract the data related to the advertisement frommetadata received with the video content.
 11. The set-top box device ofclaim 9, wherein the ad-to-go application is stored at the set-top boxdevice.
 12. The set-top box device of claim 9, wherein the ad-to-goapplication is stored at the advertisement data management system or atan application server accessible to the set-top box device via theaccess network.
 13. The set-top box device of claim 9, wherein the datarelated to the advertisement includes an electronic coupon, anelectronically readable code, a mobile version of the advertisement,information related to an offer associated with the advertisement,information related to an event associated with the advertisement, orany combination thereof.
 14. A system to receive data related to anadvertisement, the system comprising: a mobile device adapted to:receive data related to an advertisement from an advertisement datamanagement system, the advertisement selected by a user of a set-top boxdevice associated with the mobile device; activate an ad wallet featureat the mobile device in response to receiving the data, the ad walletfeature adapted to store data related to a plurality of advertisements;and store the data related to the advertisement via the ad walletfeature.
 15. The system of claim 14, wherein the mobile device isadapted to: receive a selection of the ad wallet feature; graphicallydisplay selectable indicators of contents of the ad wallet; and displaythe data related to the selected advertisement in response to aselection of an indicator corresponding to the data related to theselected advertisement.
 16. The system of claim 15, wherein the mobiledevice includes a hot key and wherein a selection of the hot keycorresponds to a selection of the ad wallet feature.
 17. The system ofclaim 14, wherein the mobile device is adapted to receive the datarelated to the advertisement from the advertisement data managementsystem via short messaging service (SMS), e-mail, Internet, or anycombination thereof.
 18. The system of claim 14, wherein the mobiledevice comprises a mobile phone, a personal data assistant, a mobilecomputing device, a digital music player adapted to communicate with amobile network, or any combination thereof.
 19. A system to receive datarelated to an advertisement, the system comprising: a mobile deviceadapted to: activate an advertisement data mode in response to userinput; detect a movement of the mobile device with respect to alandmark; and request, in response to detecting the movement, datarelated to an advertisement accessible to a set-top box deviceassociated with the mobile device from an advertisement data managementsystem.
 20. The system of claim 19, wherein the landmark includes theset-top box device, a display device coupled to the set-top box device,or a combination thereof.
 21. A computer-readable medium havingprocessor-readable instructions that are executable by a processor toperform a method, the method comprising: receiving an indication of anadvertisement selection command from a set-top box device at anadvertisement data management system, wherein the advertisementselection command indicates that data related to an advertisementreceived at the set-top box device is to be sent to a mobile deviceassociated with the set-top box device; and sending the data related tothe advertisement from the advertisement data management system to themobile device in response to the indication.
 22. The computer-readablemedium of claim 21, wherein the method further comprises: receivingprogram information from the set-top box device; and identifying theadvertisement based on the program information.
 23. Thecomputer-readable medium of claim 22, wherein the method furthercomprises retrieving the data related to the advertisement from anadvertisement data database.
 24. The computer-readable medium of claim21, wherein the method further comprises receiving the data related tothe advertisement from the set-top box device.